


You are the Right Everything

by Agent_Of_Something, ElodieCarterERogers



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Non-Explicit Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29886771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent_Of_Something/pseuds/Agent_Of_Something, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElodieCarterERogers/pseuds/ElodieCarterERogers
Summary: Leo Fitz, a shy and awkward monkey-loving engineer, starts a new job at the Shield Science Institute under the straight-edge work obsessed Jemma Simmons as his boss. There is an undeniable connection between the two, but forces try and pull them apart. Will they make it?
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, friends. Elodie and I have written a new story. This one is a bit different because the dynamic has shifted from what we usually write or have written prior to this. It is one of my personal favorites so we both hope you love it! <3

Jemma sighed at the mountain of paperwork she had. She had two PhDs by 16 and this is what she got. Paperwork.

This was why she was so cold and distant. Or she came across that way. It’s because she had so much paperwork for injuries. She just needed a good engineer to make sure that as few injuries as possible occur. That way, she won’t have to fill out all of this shit. 

So, Jemma decided to put the word out for a new engineer for her project. 

Leopold Fitz entered the big white lab, looking at all the tables and computers, his mouth opened, amazed. What a lucky chance he has to be here and got an interview to work at the popular Shield Science Institute. After the recent sad events he'd been through, he could not have a better chance to start over than here - if he was hired, of course. 

“Bloody Hell, it’s so great!” He said for himself, stepping back, looking at the big holotable in the middle of the room. His eyes were shining like a kid the night of Christmas. "Stark has a big chal- woohah!" 

He hit a shelf behind him and lots of files fell on the ground. 

“Oh no, no, no!” He said, trying to grab all the files at the same time, panicking. “Well done, Fitz. First day, first minutes and you're always putting a big mess over here!”

He growled, continuing to tidy the files correctly when two bare white legs stopped in front of him. He froze, his mouth opened, astonished, his eyes stuck in them, completely hypnotized. To be honest, it was the first time he was seeing bared legs so close to him. And those one where really beautiful to look at. 

He slowly raised his eyes up to finally notice a woman. A beautiful woman. No. The most beautiful woman he ever saw in his life, except on tv. Brown hair tied in a tight bun, brown golden eyes, plumped red lips, white freckles face, yes, she has completely the type of classic face he was attracted to and could not resist to look at. One of his weaknesses, he guessed. He was the kind of guy who fell in love with a woman just because she dared smile at him. But her. Who was she? He didn't know yet but he would certainly try his own way. 

He quickly standed up, looking at her, blushing.

“Hi… Uh sorry, I made these fall because I was looking at the holotable,” he said, showing the files he put on a table next to him. “Uh, I'm Leo Fitz, I’m here for the meeting with the Boss: Jemma Simmons. I'm the engineer.” 

Jemma kept silent for a long second before giving him a tight smile. It was him : the smart and talented Leopold Fitz with the amazing resume. When she read it, she didn't think he would be like this at first. She rather saw him more geeky, short, already old for his age, bald with glasses. But what she had in front of her was totally the opposite. The real Leopold Fitz had a baby face with a beard, was tall and had the most beautiful piercing blue eyes she could ever see. And she had seen a lot but these ones were absolutely beautiful and really attractive. Something in them made her think they were like the ocean when the sun hit it. She absolutely loved them and it was not just because she preferred blue eyes guys. Those one were really attractive. 

She let her eyes fall on the rest of him. Blue jeans, red tie and shirt with black comet dots under a grey cardigan, he was really casual outfit for a meeting with a boss, but she didn't really pay attention to this. He reminded her when she was at the Academy of science where all students were wearing almost the same outfits. 

“I’ll take care of the files. If you’ll come with me.” Once she started to walk, she waited for him to ask her name. 

As she turned to lead him, he could not help to look at her bare legs once again and thanked God for letting him meet a woman like her. Even if he knew perfectly that she would never ever think about him in that way and ignore him once he would disappear from her vision, he could not stop looking at her. Did she know the impact she had on people each time she met them for the first time? Or was it only him? 

“So, uh, are you Madame Simmons' assistant?” He asked, stuttering. "My name's Leo, by the way." 

"You already said that," she answered, leading him to her office. 

"Sorry, but I said it twice because you didn't give me yours." He stopped in front of her when she turned to him quickly and he gave her a little smile, his two cheeks getting pink color. 

“I'm surprised you're not smart enough to understand that you already know my name." Jemma answered quite sassily, and up an eyebrow. "I am your boss."

His smile faded and he turned pale. “Oh Bloody hell!” He murmured, quite loud. “I’m so sorry, Ma’am! I didn't notice it was you… Well, you're not… You don’t look like… No, that’s not what exactly…” He growled as he couldn't find his right words, shaking his hands. "I'm sorry!" 

She wanted to laugh, not to mock him but because his attitude was quite funny and… Cute. A child getting caught after we saw him stealing candies. 

“Mister Fitz, as much as I appreciate your compliments, flattery will get you nowhere. So hopefully, your interview will make you more eligible for this job.” She said rather coldly.   
Her tone was convincing enough to make him blushed in red, nodded and looked down in silence. 

He followed her into her office and he entered, he was once again amazed by the room and certainly by all the little science references and objects she had in each corner of the room. One of them caught his eyes particularly and he looked at it, astonished with big eyes and his mouth opened. 

“Bloody Hell! I can’t believe it!” He said.

Then, he walked quickly to a white and black periodic table of elements of a famous painting on the wall that he heard a lot about. 

“Is this the original that Reginald Worthblake painted in 1912?” He asked, focused on the painting and nothing else. 

“Yes it is. Good catch. Now if you would sit down to start the interview.” She replied. He was smart. Very few people knew where the painting came from and very few could recognize that it was the original. Recognizing the work of her great-grandfather Reggie gave this man one more chance to be accepted here.

“He was really interesting.” He said, continuing about the painting. “Did you know he was both a scientist and a painter, and also a lawyer? Once, he brought a chemical solution with a drawing during a trial. This man was awesome!” And after that, he turned his head to her with a big smile. 

She inwardly laughed at this man. He was really cute when he was talking about his favourite scientists. Letting her know all the facts about Reggie was amusing, as she already knew everything about him. He is able to retain information. That was good.

“I did know that actually. But, I’m more of a Jane Goodall fan myself.” She replied, stoic. 

“Jane Goodall?” He repeated with a grimace. “Hm, yeah, if we love saving and protecting animals. I don’t think she did so much, actually.” 

“Oh, are you that kind of man who only thinks women can’t do better than men?” She asked, her tone almost biting. 

“Oh, no, no, no! Lots of women did great things. Elizabeth Blackwell, Marie Curie, Shirley Jackson...” He answered quickly. “I’m for women. Girl power, you know.” He nodded, with a pout mouth. “And animals, of course.” 

“Here we mainly use plant testing. And if we do animals, we make sure it’s humane and non lethal nor long lasting effects. You’ll come to know the ways and means of this organization say you are hired.” It was true, they were mainly using plants for their testing. 

“I’m sure you do, and I already knew it, of course!” He said, walking to her and sitting on the chair, raising up his head to her. “Also, I’m a big fan of baby rhesus monkeys and I won’t tolerate killing or hurting them. I think to adopt one. I’ll call him Henry. I like Henry. You like this name?” 

“We don’t use monkeys.” She replied, confused, ignoring his last question. This man was strange, but in a good way. 

“Good, then.” He said with a big smile. “So, I suppose you wanna know who I am, what I did, where I came?” He looked at her, this time not reassured. 

“I want to know your skills, your references, and why you want to work here.” She said simply. She knew why he was here, she knew who he was, and she knew what he did, but she wanted to let him say more about himself, see how he would manage this interview. 

“Okay…” He said, looking down before taking a big deep breath. “So, I’m Leo Fitz. Scottish born in Glasgow. 29 years old. Single….” He stopped and blushed, raising his head to her. “Sorry, I was trying to joke.” He shook his head and started again. “I’m a specialist in engineering, both in modern and old technology, also in cybernetic and robotic. I got my two PHds at Oxford at 17 and 18. Then, I moved to America where I got a super internship at Stark Industries. I worked there for a complete year. Then, I moved to California and worked for the worst organization ever. Really. The worst. Centipede. Ugh, they are so stupid. I could not stay there. So I left. And I heard about you. I mean your organization. I did know about what you do before, of course, and I was really interested in your work, and when I saw you were looking for an engineer, I decided to apply for the job.”

He stopped, frowned, as if he was not really convinced by what he said. He took another deep breath.

“But clearly, what’s the biggest point here? This morning, I would say the great opportunity to work for an organization all the United States know and respect. But now, Bloody Hell, working for a boss who has a Reginald Worthblake painting in her office! It’s my golden ticket!”

Jemma stared at him incredulously. She was astonished that he was similar to her. She was flattered at his compliments. And she was curious about how he could work. If he was as interesting as he was talking right now, for sure, he would be perfect for this job.

“Who would you say is your biggest inspiration for your career?” She asked, curious to know more about him. 

“My mum.” He said simply and quickly. “She’s not a scientist, she’s a poor woman who tried her best for me. My best reference and support, sure, but she never prevented me from doing what I loved. Also, I forced her to buy me my first microscope when I was seven because I saw two ants having a sexual reproduction.” He bit his lips once again and blushed. “It was interesting. Scientifically speaking I mean.” 

“Ok, ant voyeurism aside, what drew you to engineering in the first place?” She chuckled despite herself at his story. 

“I built them a…” He stopped and looked at her. “A romantic bedroom…” He looked down. “In an electric car...” He closed his eyes, shook his head. 

Her widened eyes were Jemma’s only response to that statement. “Moving on then. What do you plan on achieving here?” 

He raised his head to her, smiling. “Well, maybe it’s just a dream, but how about building a Kopin Golden-I? Okay, that’s the name I gave it, so it’s a wireless headset. Like a hands-free mobile computing and communication headset.” 

“That sounds promising. I’ll see what I can do. Do you have questions about the company?”

“Hold on, I didn’t finish!” He cut her off, excited to reveal all his ideas and thoughts about it. “It gets the ability to interact with and access virtually any information in the world. Perhaps to a full PC experience?” He thought about it, touching his lips with his two fingers. “Connected with and controlled up?” He was now talking to himself, completely lost in his mind. 

“That seems fantastic. But after your assigned project that I need you for. Non lethal weaponry. I need a design mechanism. Can you do that?” She needed him to stay on task. 

He kept the same position, as if he didn’t hear her when he suddenly raised his head to her. 

“Non lethal weaponry? Really?” He shook his head, amused. “Nothing easier for a guy like me.” 

“I don’t appreciate cockiness in the workplace.” She answered a bit coldly. “But, to end, do you have any questions for me?” 

He actually has a lot, both professional and private but, for sure, she would have fired him if he dared try to ask something out of the professional thing. 

“One.” He finally said before leaning to her desk with a smile. “Are you really related to Reginald Worthblake?” 

“In fact, yes.” She answered sincerely. 

He let himself fall on the chair with a smirk. “I knew it!” 

“Anything else?” She grinned despite her usual demeanor.

“No, I guess you know everything about me. Well, what you should know, I’m not really an open book, I guess so?” He said, standing up and adjusting his jacket and cardigan. “Am I hired?” 

“You might get a call in the near future.” She replied. 

“Oh…” He said, sadly. “I see....” He sighed, with a pout on his pink lips. “Yeah, well, I knew it, I should not talk about the ants story…” He turned to leave the office. “Thanks for interviewing me, anyway. Have a good day, Ma’am.” 

He walked to the exit, nervously pulling the sleeve of his jacket. He was convinced she would not hire him after that. This time, he had been bad and dumb. He knew it.

Jemma smiled as she went back to work, thinking about him. Yes, she had finally found what she was looking for. 

He could definitely expect a call tomorrow. 

***

Fitz was in his apartment, waiting impatiently for a call. What if she didn’t? He really wanted to work there and improve his skills and experience with the Shield Science Institute. After working for Stark Industries, getting a chance there would be wonderful on his resume.

He standed up, walked to the window, looked at it for a while before returning to sit on the couch. What if she didn't call him back? He standed up once again, and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He needed to calm down his stress and nervous behaviour. 

While he was taking off his cardigan and shirt, letting the water run, his phone finally rang. In one second, he was back in the living room, grabbing the phone.

“Am I hired?!” He screamed at the phone, his breath out. 

“Is this Dr Leopold Fitz?” The voice on the other end asked.

“Yes!” He answered with a hoarse voice. “Am I hired? Let me know or I’m gonna pass out in a sec!” 

“I’m calling from the Shield Science Institute. You were chosen for the position of Special Advisor in Engineering.” 

“YES! YES!” He screamed, jumping everywhere in the room after hurting his toe on the chair. “OUCH! Ahh! AHah…” He took his toe in his hand, grimacing in pain. 

“Sir, are you alright?” 

“I just… nevermind. I am hired. You said it, right?” He said, holding his toe, and talking to the phone as if the person was just in front of him. 

“Yes. You have the job.” 

He made a victory sign and smiled. “Thank you, Miss! Thank you so much! When I can start?” 

“Monday at 9 am.” 

“I’ll be here! I’ll truly be there!” He said, smiling more. “Thank you again!” 

He hung up and jumped once again in the room, happy. He did it. He got the job! With a good mood, he returned to the bathroom to take his shower and once he was inside the shower, he remembered the pain on his toe..

“It hurts so much!” He screamed all alone in the shower, but whatever. He had gotten the job.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jemma got into work that morning, she felt refreshed and strangely happy. The reason was a mystery to her. But she welcomed it.

After getting her usual morning tea from the break room, she made her way into her office. She took off her jacket and went to the holotable to see what was on the agenda.

Conference with Mace (ugh)  
Meeting with the Engineering Dept. (new recruit)

Ah yes. The new recruit. Leopold Fitz. Jemma was excited to see what he could do. The rest of the day was furthering her work on the dendrotoxin formula. Refining it. 

It was going to be interesting. Not to mention the date she had at 6 pm with astronaut Will Daniels. They met at a party and he asked her out. Seeing as it would occupy her mind, she accepted. Hopefully he wouldn’t be as boring as he was at that party. 

Fitz walked to the laboratories, almost jumping on his way, a box in the hands filled with his favourite things and own materials. He was so happy to start the day and work here. He did not know yet what he would do but Jemma Simmons mentioned a non lethal weaponry, so it should not be so complicated and certainly interesting coming from her. She already did great projects before and he was fascinated by them, so no doubt that what she was going to ask him to do would be interesting enough to not bore him.

Fitz entered the lab and walked directly to the black shape body in a dress that he knew who it was. Jemma Simmons. His boss. 

“Helloooo!” He said, with a good mood. “You remember me? Leo Fitz, the engineer.” 

Jemma looked up at the sudden voice. The sudden Scottish voice. It wasn’t thick though. Time in America will do that.

“Yes. Of course, come on in.” She replied. 

Fitz walked closer, his box between them. “So, where can I put my things?” He asked with a smile. 

“In your office down the hall.” She answered. It was short and simple. That’s what Jemma liked. 

“Oh! I- I can’t work from here?” He said, turning his head to one of a desk against the wall. “Like this one there sounds good for me?” 

“No that’s for the biologists and chemists. I may be head of all the science here, however biochem is my main focus. Computer Sciences to the right, engineering to the left.” She gave him a small smile despite her usual cold nature with her subordinates. 

He looked at her for a while, confused. “I guess I don’t understand… You meant Boss only in a room and the subordinates in another one.” He said, nodding with a pout mouth. “I got it now, yeah.”

Then, he turned on his heels and walked with his box under his arm to leave the lab and go to his “office down the hall.” 

“Also, don’t forget. We have a meeting at 11:30 with the entire engineering team to get you settled and for you to catch up.” She called before he went to the door. 

“I’ll be there at time,” He said, leaving the room to go to his “office”.

When he pushed the door with his feet, he stood up a long minute, looking at the room. Small, grey uncomfortable walls, a small desk on the left, another small table on the right with a microscope and some tools and the worst: no window. A cage. Literally. How could she put him right there? 

He got back to the laboratory, still holding his box where now a little monkey head nodded when he was walking.

“You put me in a cage?” He said, entering and walking to her. 

“What now?” She looked up at him. 

“You put me in a cage”, he repeated, his face worried, while the little monkey in the box continued to nod as if he was confirming what Fitz was saying. “I can’t stay there.” 

“What do you mean?” She was so confused. What did he mean by a cage? 

“There’s no windows and it’s dark. I can’t work there!” He said, his breathing accelerated. 

“Are you claustrophobic? Because if you are, I’m sure we could find something.” She tried to calm him down.

“I’m not claustrophobic,” he said, shaking his head, just like the little monkey in the box. “But I can’t stay in a cage for hours without saying light or… I can’t stay in the dark.” 

“It’s not a cage. It’s an office, first of all. Second, do you have a preference for an office that suits your likings?” She went back to her cold demeanor. 

“There?” He showed the table behind her. 

“You sure you want to sit there? You’ll be pretty far from the engineering section.” It’s not that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. No, not at all. 

“It’ll be perfect,” He said, walking to the table. “Better than this cage…” He put his box on the table, started to put all his stuff on his new desk. 

“Again, I’m sure I can find you a better office closer to engineering. Here, you’ll see lots of dissections and chemical smells.” She tried. 

“I don’t mind,” He said, putting the monkey in the corner for the table. “I’m not afraid of dissections.” 

Wrong. He was totally panicking each time he was seeing something being cut off or scalped. But he could do and say anything to not go back to this dark cage. 

After he arranged his desk in a maniac way, he took off his jacket and sat in his chair. “Better than the ground.” He said for himself, before pushing back the monkey head a bit more in the corner. 

Jemma’s eyes widened. “You sure settle fast.” 

“I just need what it helps me to work. No distraction and lots of inspiring things.” He said, turning his head to her. 

“As long as you don’t distract anyone around you. You’re free to stay here.” She was unsure of what to do. The meeting wasn’t for another hour and a half.

“No worries, I’ll be quiet like a shadow.” He said, putting both his hands on the table, taking his breath before taking his own smart tablet. “So, you talked about non-lethal weaponry?” (yt

“Yes. Using dendrotoxin. I just need a design mechanism.” She got her tablet to pull up her notes.

“Dendrotoxin?” He repeated while he was taping on his tablet. “You wanna use a chemical substance to paralyze people?” He asked. 

“To stun. To knock unconscious. I’m refining the formula and using only .1 microleters.” She replied curtly. 

“Yeah, not so much or the one who’s gonna get this dendrotoxin is gonna pass out, or die.” He nodded, continuing to tap on his tablet. “How do you want to use it?” 

“Instead of killing, we can knock them out and take them. The bad guys that is. We can use it on civilians ‘cause when they wake up it could all be explained as a dream.” She answered. 

He frowned, not convinced and turned to her. 

“You wanna use this on people? It’s dangerous, nobody can react the same way as me or you, or this guy there.” He saw someone enter the lab, looking for someone. A hot guy with an astronaut jacket and a motorbike helmet. 

Jemma didn’t look up as she said, “precisely why I’m refining the formula.” She didn’t notice the man. 

“Simmons?” The guy said, walking to them. “Hey, I texted you like five times this morning.” 

Fitz raised his head and looked at them. Was this guy her boyfriend? Probably. He was acting like he had already kissed her a lot of times and had a good time. A pouty mouth appeared on his lips but he kept his eyes on them. 

“Oh, Will. Hi. I thought we were meeting at 6 pm.” She finally looked up. 

Fitz nodded for himself, confirming they were dating. Not a surprise, she was really beautiful and he was… He looked at him once again, from up and down. He was hotter. Fitz, himself could not deny it. 

“We will, but I wanted to ask you if you would agree to go with me to the planetarium after dinner. I’ve to meet an old friend and it’s important for me.” Will said, putting his hand on her arm, as if it was necessary for him to have a contact with her for her to accept. 

Fitz noticed it and grimaced, while his eyes could not help to stay stuck on his hand touching her. Lucky guy! 

“Sure. But you could’ve just texted me. I’m working as you can see.” She gestured to Fitz. 

Fitz nodded, and raised his hand as a salute.

“Leo Fitz, the engineering. I’m new here.” He said with a little smile.

Will completely ignored him and touched Simmons’ arm again. “Simmons, I texted you 5 times. You didn’t answer, that’s why I had to drive all this road to ask you.” 

Fitz let his hand down as he noticed he had been completely ignored and turned his head away. It was not new but it was still hurting to be pushed away. But it was not entirely his fault this time, this guy came and stopped them in their work, after all. 

“Maybe we should continue, Boss?” He said, as he wanted the other hotter guy to get out. “We need to talk about the project, remember?” 

“Right yes. So I’ll meet up with you at 6. Ok?” She put on a faux sweet smile. Her annoyance at him for showing up while she was working was a burning fire raging inside of her. But of course, she had to put a steely persona to make sure it didn’t come out. 

“But do you agree with what I asked?” Will asked with a smile. “And then, after this, we could have a great moment together, like the first time, what do you think?” 

Fitz kept a long deep sigh and turned around to avoid listening to this conversation. It was annoying him and he didn’t know what to do except tapping on the head of the monkey settled on his desk. 

“Yes. Now we have lots of work to do and I’m sure you do as well. You’ll pick me up at six.” She sighed in frustration as he narrowed his eyes, nodded, gave her sloppy wet kiss on the cheek, and left. He was so irritating sometimes. Why did she agree to this? 

Fitz sighed of relief and put both his hands on the desk. He was ready to start and forget what just happened with these two.

“Can we go back to work, now?” He asked, nicely. 

“Yes. Now where were we?” She put her cold and distant facial expression on once again. 

“We…” He cleared his throat as he saw her cold facial expression. He didn’t really like it but she was his boss and only that, so. “I told you that you wanted to kill people with the dendrotoxin.” 

“Quite the opposite. I’m only using a precise and tiny amount. It’s non-lethal. If I wanted to kill people I would just use a regular gun. I’m against killing. Only in the worst possible situation would I even consider it.” She replied curtly, keeping her anger smashed down inside of her. 

“A gun?” He repeated, before frowning. Then, he looked at an invisible point in the air and thought for a long minute. “A gun! Yes!” He smiled at her and turned quickly to his tablet where he drew a quick modern and designed gun. “How about that?” He showed her. 

“Perfect.” She smiled up at him. She felt a swell of pride. She certainly had picked the right person for the job. “So what materials are you planning on using?” 

“Hm, well, about that, it’s just a rough draft but..” He was holding his face with one of his hands, looking at her. “I need to think about it clearly but I know what I’ve in mind.” He sighed with a smile. “I can’t wait to show you.” 

“I can’t wait to see it.” She never smiled like this with her employees. Never ever. What made him so different? So...special? 

“Great!” He turned quickly to his tablet, already working on the design, now completely focused on his work and nothing else. But before taking the tablet pencil, he taped on the head of the monkey who nodded at him. “Yeah, another great project!” He said to the object while he was just talking to himself. 

“What? What great project?” She asked. 

He didn’t answer, now lost in his mind, his hand could not stop to run on the screen of the tablet and it was like he could not listen to anything else around than just the song of his ideas. 

“Hey? Anyone in there?” She waved a hand in his face. Why was he ignoring her all of a sudden? 

“Uh?” He turned quickly to her, as if he was noticing her for the first time. “What? You need something?” 

‘‘Tell me what you’re doing. What you have that’s so important that you flat out ignored me.” She answered.

“I’m… I’m working on your project?” He said, confused. What was she talking about? 

“You said, and I quote, “another great project.” What's this other project?” She asked. 

“Your project. I meant, your project is “another great project.” He answered more confused than ten seconds earlier. “What’s wrong with that? Should I not work on it?” 

“Oh no. I just misunderstood. My bad.” She awkwardly walked away from him back to her desk, totally and utterly embarrassed. 

He looked at her for a while, frowning and then returned on his work, lost in his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that day, Fitz was back from his lunch time with his goblet of tea in the hands when he noticed a new woman in the lab. She was tall with brown hair and beautiful green eyes. 

“Hello?” He said, walking to his desk. “Can I help you? Madame Simmons has not arrived yet.”

“I know.” The woman said, turning to him with a big smile. “You should be Leopold Fitz? The new recruit?” She walked to him and handed her hand to shake it. “Oh, nice hand; I suspect real good workers hands over here.”

Fitz blushed and took off his hand, embarrassed. “Yeah… Uh, I guess we should talk about the project. Did you know already what Madame Simmons wanted?” He asked, walking to his desk to take his tablet.

“Let’s talk a bit about you, first, Leopold.” Ophelia said, sitting on a corner of Jemma’s desk. “I heard you were a big smart guy. Is that true?” She smiled at him, looking right in the eyes.

Fitz blushed more, and looked at his tablet while sitting on his chair.

“Oh, I’m not so bad.” He said with a little smile. “But did you know Madame Simmons has two PHD’s? And this painting!” 

Ophelia waved a hand to him. “I know all about her already. We’re kinda friends. Tell me more about you, Leopold. If we're gonna work together, I need to know a lot.” 

“Oh, uh… I love engineering and…”

Jemma entered the lab and noticed them together. First Fitz, then Ophelia. She looked tired, as if the day was too long for her. 

“Oh, Ophelia. You’re here. Why?” Jemma couldn’t help but ask. 

“Hello, Ma’am,” Fitz said with a big smile, waving his hand. “Did you eat lunch well?”

“Yes,” Jemma said tightly, she felt as if her jaw was going to crack because she was clenching it so hard, “yes I did very much so.” She felt her hands ball into fists.

“I was meeting Leopold. My gosh, Jemma, you chose a great one this time. And not just for his resume.”Ophelia smiled at Jemma and winced to her, before looking at Fitz, smiling. 

“What do you mean Ophelia?” Jemma pressed. She needed answers on why she was sucking up so much. 

Ophelia smirked at her and showed her Fitz. “Nevermind, how’s William going?” She asked, walking to her.

Fitz made a pout mouth, showing he clearly didn’t want to hear their private conversation and went to sit at his desk, back to work. But he clearly listened to them. 

“He’s….fine.” Jemma replied, not wanting to talk about him. He was conceited and boring. But she didn’t want to hurt his feelings by saying that she wanted to stop seeing him. She had a hard time saying no.

“Good to know. Well, you know, it’s not really my business, Jemma, but we’re friends, aren’t we? And, I have to tell you something I heard. I guess William will ask you something important soon. I can’t tell you what but, honey, I’m so happy for both of you if it’s a proposal or something.” Ophelia said, taking Jemma’s hands in hers.

On his side, Fitz could not help to let fall his tablet briskly on his table with a big noise.

He quickly turned to them, blushed in red. “Sorry! I didn’t pay attention.” He said, stuttered and quickly met Jemma’s eyes before turning his head. 

It’s too early for him to propose, Jemma thought. Maybe it was a work thing? “Ophelia, thank you for telling me. But, I am also your boss. So, calling me honey and holding my hands isn’t appropriate.” She said. It was true and she didn’t appreciate her subordinate being condescending.

Ophelia’s smile stopped and she stepped back, his cheeks pink. “As you want, Jemma. I guess you didn’t change your mind and only choose your professional part. Well, it’s not really a loss, I guess. We’ll see each other for work only.” Then, she turned her heels and walked to Fitz. “Leopold, it was a pleasure to meet you. I can’t wait for us to work together on this amazing design you made. Let me know when you’re free, my office is three floors down.” She said with a smile. Then, she left the lab. 

“The audacity. My personal life is none of her business. Aida is such a b- oh, sorry Fitz. Didn’t see you there.” She nodded. 

“It’s okay, Ma’am,” He answered. “Uh, why… why did you call her “Aida”?” He asked, frowning. 

“Oh that’s….something you don’t have to worry about.” She replied, looking down at the floor. 

He desperately wanted to know what she had in mind but he knew that if he would insist, she would answer him back with her cold tone. 

“Okay, then.” He simply answered, back to his work. 

Then, Jemma had an idea.

“Do you really want to know Fitz?” She asked, coming up to him. 

He turned his head to her, a bit astonished.

“Uh, only if you want to tell me, Ma’am. You don’t have to, yes, after all, it’s not my business.” He said, with a poor smile. 

“So, when she came in at first, her name was Aida. Then she changed it. She was always mean and disrespectful. Especially to me. So I still call her Aida. But for me, I make it an acronym for Artificially, because she’s had so much plastic surgery, Intelligent, no matter how much I don’t like her, she is smart, Disrespectful, because she is, Asshole, because she is that too. Just don’t tell anyone. She just doesn’t respect me in my face so I do it behind her back.” She admitted. 

Fitz was looking at her completely shocked. He didn’t know if she was joking or not but the fact she made an acronym for one of her employees just let him think she could be what everyone was saying about her here. But he could not just think about it and was focusing on only one thing she said.

“When you said “plastic surgery”...” He asked, blushing a little. “You meant…?” He looked at her, blushing more. 

“Nose, boobs, butt, and I think Lipo.” She answered. 

His eyes became two giant big balls and he could not breath for a while. He quickly turned his head back to his desk.

“I- I’ve work to do!” He said, taking his tablet turning off, pretending to work. 

Jemma looked down at her shoes. She probably had ruined her reputation and relationships because of this admission. She just prayed Fitz knew how to keep a secret.

The pit in her stomach didn’t seem to think so. 

***

Jemma was working when she got a text from Will. She sighed and picked up her phone to answer.

Still on for dinner?

Jemma really did not want to go, but she didn’t want to lie. She felt bad. However, in the end, she did.

Rain check? She replied.

No answer.

Jemma was frustrated with him. She just didn’t want to be with him. She didn’t know what exactly she did want but she knew it wasn’t being with Will Daniels. 

Fitz finished cleaning his desk, tapped on the head of his Monkey with a smile and put his bag on his shoulder, walking to her.

“Good Evening, Ma’am.” He said with a little smile. “Hope you’ll get a good night. See you tomorrow.” He said, waving his hand to her before turning his heels to leave. 

“You too Fitz.” She said absently, following him out the door. 

He nodded as a thanks and took the staircase, wondering if she would go to this date with this guy. Probably, as they were dating. A little pout came on his mouth and he sighed, sad that nothing like this could happen to him. He walked out of the building and with a bad mood, walking slowly under the rain to his home.


	4. Chapter 4

One week later, Fitz was completely integrated in Shield Science Laboratories. He really loved his job and could not wait to return to work each morning. Jemma let him start the project with the material they received a few days ago and he was so absorbed in his project that he didn’t really notice all the times that Jemma was absent from the lab for her meetings and interviews out of the town. They didn’t really talk for a while and Fitz learned how to let her some space, avoiding asking too many questions and certainly adopting a great subordinate attitude each time she was there. And it was perfect and exactly what he needed to work. 

Fitz entered the lab, ready to start the day as he loved to do it. He came directly to his desk, put on his gobelet of tea and a paper bag, and took his materials and tools and ran to the holotable to get back to his work that he left during the weekend. He turned on the holotable and smiled when he saw his work appear in the air in a 3D design. 

“Beauty!” He laughed for himself. 

Jemma’s head snapped up at the sound of Fitz's exclamation before looking back down. Even his bright smile couldn’t lift her from her sour mood. She had broken up with Will and felt bad for him. Yes, she didn’t like him, but she didn’t like hurting his feelings either. 

Fitz heard a sigh behind him and turned quickly to notice his boss, sitting at her desk.

“Oh, sorry, Ma’am, I didn’t see you.” He said with a smile and he didn’t really notice itself, happy to see her back. “How was your appointment in Chicago last week?” He asked, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Fine.” She replied, her tone and face devoid of emotion.

Fitz’s smile fell down as he noticed her reaction. “Is everything okay, Ma’am?” He asked, walking to her. 

“Yep.” She replied, clenching her jaw. 

He stepped back because of her tone. “You sure? You didn’t.” He insisted. 

“I’m fine Dr. Fitz. Now get to work.” She responded coldly, narrowing her eyes. 

He quickly looked down, blushing. “Sure, sorry for asking.” He said, returning to the holotable where he started his work. 

“Let’s just work.” She sighed. 

A few minutes later, Fitz stopped his work to check the screen. The design of the Night Night Gun looked so pretty that he could not help to smile, happy. To celebrate this little victory, he went to his desk, drank his tea and took the paper bag he brought earlier. Inside, there were two Pattes d’ours with cream and chocolate. His favourite breakfast. He took one, bit on it and nodded. It was so good that he could not help to growl a little. “Fantastic,” He said, his mouth full of the pastry. 

Jemma couldn’t hide her smile as she saw Fitz being goofy and eating a pastry to celebrate his victory. She shook her head fondly and went back to work, her mood lifting. 

As Fitz was finishing his first pastry, he turned his head to Jemma and saw she still had the little wrinkles between her eyes. He noticed she always had it when she was worried or perturbed by something. He wanted to know what was wrong but expecting she rejected him once again until he saw the last Patte d’ours in the paper bag. Maybe with a pastry, she could be nice?

He walked to her and handed her the pastry with a smile.

“A Patte d’ours”? He said, putting it in front of her. 

“No thank you. I’m on a diet.” She wanted to, oh how she wanted to. But she tried to eat as little sugar, fat, and carbs as possible. 

“I think you need it,” He insisted, with a little smile. “Sugar resolves all problems and bad moods.” 

“It causes more problems than you think.” She teased with a mirroring smile. 

“Come on, just take it. I’m sure you’re gonna like and it’s the one with chocolate.” He insisted more, shaking it in front of her face. “Look, it’s calling your name.” He laughed. 

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes and took the smallest bite known to man. “Happy?” She smirked. 

“Do you like it?” He asked, not convinced she really took a bite. “How’s the chocolate? Take another piece.” 

She took another slightly bigger bite. “Delicious.”

A big smile came on his face. “I’m glad. How do you feel now?” He asked, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Fat.” She grinned. 

His smile fell down, alarmed. “That’s not… I didn’t want to-” He stuttered, blushing. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t insist that much.” He shook his head and swore at himself. “I won’t do it again, sorry!” Then, he returned quickly to the holotable, frustrated and feeling stupid. 

“Fitz, it’s a joke. Calm down.” She giggled. 

He barely turned his head to her and nodded, pinched his lips. He felt really bad for insisting so much and always trying to get something from her. Whatever he was doing, saying or making didn’t seem enough to bring her what he wanted to give her. Maybe should he stop and just consider her as the boss only and nothing else. After all, why did he do all this for someone who only considered him as another subordinate she could easily replace by someone else? He already did that experience last year and his nice behaviour pushed Mace to fire him. Maybe it was time to renounce and only act like a subordinate. 

“Are you okay?” Her smooth, English, angelic, beautiful voice broke him out of his thoughts. 

“Yes!” He answered a bit rough. “I’ve finished with the design. I’m gonna see if I can start the 3D printed model with Ophelia.” He standed up, took his tablet and walked to the exit. 

“With Ophelia?” Jemma inquired. “Why her?” 

He stopped and turned to her, his face neutral, no smile but no cold face either. “Because yours is broken. I left you three messages about it last week and you didn’t answer or change it. So, I don’t know if you didn’t see them, maybe they were lost with my stupid other nice messages, whatever, I don’t care; but I need to work on the model quickly and Ophelia only has a 3D print model working.” He said, turning his heels to open the door. 

“It’s getting fixed right now. As is my phone. Some guy bumped into me and I dropped it. And it shattered. So you can still reach me through email for two days until it’s fixed. Okay?” She said. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” 

“You were busy with you- ,” He said, a little coldly, but bit his lip after being rude. “Nevermind, it’s not my business. If you need the subordinate, I’ll be at Ophelia’s lab.” He said, and left the room, closing the door behind him. 

“No you can’t trust her!” Jemma tried. But he was out the door.

***

Fitz returned to the lab at the end of the day. His mood was better, his bad feelings cleaned thanks to Ophelia who succeeded to change his mind. Of course, it was not what he wanted from someone, but he naively saw how Ophelia would be nice and different from Jemma. First, she was always smiling at him, second, she was interested in him, third, she was acting like she wanted more than just being colleagues and finally, she let him know with lots of things that could happen between them. Fitz was really interesting but just having a friend over here with whom he could talk a little relieved him. He didn’t know yet what could happen but he saw that Ophelia changed his mind and mood all the rest of the day. And it was a good relief. 

When he entered the lab, he walked directly to the holotable to enter his information. Next to him, he put a small 3D model of the Night Night Gun he was really proud of and could not stop to look at. 

Jemma saw him come in and started to wring her hands. She didn’t trust Ophelia. Not after what happened with Radcliffe. Honestly, the only reason she wasn’t fired was because Radcliffe resigned. She was untrustworthy. And yet Fitz still brought her in. She only said the nice things because they’re true. But it didn’t outweigh the bad. 

Fitz finished to enter the information and took his wonderful gun to show it to his Boss. Now the design was done, he needed her part of the job to complete it and see if the dendrotoxin could be used with the gun.

“Look at this,” He said, showing his gun like a trophy. “I could not change the colour but this one is not so bad.” He avoided her look, only looking at his gun, with a proud look on his face. 

“The formula is refined. Now all we need is the real model. And are we really calling it the Night Night Gun?” She asked. 

He finally looked at her. “Yes, yes, we are. It’s my design and my gun. If you’re not agree with it, you can still look for another model.” He said. 

“I think it could be better. Like the Icer. It stands for Incapacitating Cartridge Emitting Railguns. How does that sound?” She scratched her head. 

“I still prefer the Night-Night Gun.” He said, pinching his lips. “Ophelia liked it too.” He argued. 

“Who is going to take it seriously with such a childish name? I.C.E.R. sounds cooler and more likely for people to take seriously. Just saying.” She replied, ignoring the Ophelia part. 

“Are you questioning my work?” He asked, now coldly. 

“Not at all. Just your naming skills. I am the boss. Change it to I.C.E.R.” 

He looked at her for a while, frozen. “This is what you want? Change my idea’s name by yours?”

“How are you going to take a weapon seriously with such a childish name?” She repeated. “They don’t call M16s ‘bullet dispensers.’”

He glowered at her, furious inside. His hands started to shake while he was still holding the gun and he furiously hit her desk with it. 

“Fine! If I’m too childish, we’re gonna take your name, Boss!” He hissed on the last two words and returned quickly to his desk, where he sat, trying to calm down the wave of his bad feelings running into him. It didn’t happen for a long time and getting them back was really difficult to manage. 

“I never said that you were childish. I said the name was. But, you can’t expect everything you do to be received well. This is the way of the world.” She reasoned, walking after him. 

“If you think of my name as a childish thing, then, you’re thinking I’m childish too!” He answered, coldly. “But whatever! It’s always like that with you, isn't it? If it doesn’t suit Boss Simmons, then, it’s a “no way!” Ophelia was right about you!” He clenched his fists, trying to calm down. He needed to calm his anger. 

“What did you say? What did Ophelia say about me?” She asked angrily. 

“The truth!” He said, standing up and turning to her, furious, as she never saw him. “You’re mean, cold, only thinking about yourself and work and you don’t know how to thank people when they try to be nice and help you. You’re only an iceberg!” He said, mad. 

“Wow. You believe her. You don’t know what she’s done, have you? Well, let me tell you. Before I was the cold iceberg boss as you call it, I was a regular old biochemist. I was working on a project with a senior geneticist named Holden Radcliffe. He had an assistant, Ophelia, known as Aida at the time. She wanted to be in my position. So, she slept with Radcliffe. Which was against company rules. He was so entranced with her that I was kicked off. When I reported it to HR, Ophelia denied it. But Radcliffe didn’t. He resigned, the project was cancelled. And Ophelia has hated me even more ever since. So who do you think is more trustworthy? Colder? It’s fine if you say that it’s me. Most of what she said is true. Except I’m selfless, not selfish. So yeah. Think about it.” As she finished her story, she saw Fitz sit down in a chair with widened eyes. 

He didn’t know what to think, who to trust, what to do. Who was right, who was lying? He could not deny his boss was telling the truth, for some things only, because he knew about them before, but what Ophelia told him about her was also a truth. She was cold, only thinking about work, was not really interacting with her employees and each time he tried to help or be nice, she rejected him badly. He could not deny that, but now he didn’t know who to trust. 

“I’m sorry about what happened to you,” He said, first, his anger vanished. “Truly. But I can’t deny what she said about you because I saw and noticed it too. You’re a great boss, I’m sure about it, but I won’t accept to be treated like a stupid, idiot and child subordinate. I had enough people like you in my life with my father and my last boss, and I love this job. But if you continue to treat me like this, I won’t have any other choice that gives you my resignation.” He looked down. “I don’t like to be mean with people. My reaction these last few minutes was not me, it was an old me I don’t want to see again. So, I prefer to leave than bring him back again.” 

He clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the feelings running inside him right now.

“There’s a reason why I’m so cold. I am actually working on it. But it’s a personal thing. So, next time, maybe you should not believe everything you hear. Especially in such an unprofessional manner. She continually tries to destroy my reputation. You’ve seen that too.” She replied not unkindly. 

He took a deep breath, raised his eyes to her. “I’ll trust what I see and in what I’ll get.” He said, turning back to his desk, tapped on the little head of his monkey, thinking. 

“Do what you want.” She started to go back to her desk when Ophelia came in. 

“Leopold, you’re still here?” She asked, entering and noticing him at his desk. “The table is booked, we could be there in ten if we leave right now. I suspect the traffic to be high and if we don’t want to be late for the movie, it’s better to leave now.” She smiled at him while putting her hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you’re okay?” She asked, and then, she turned her head to Jemma. “Madame Simmons.” She said with a hint of mockery in her voice. 

“A- Ophelia.” She replied without a hint of any emotion. 

Fitz sighed but standed up and took his jacket and bag. He didn’t know if he should go with Ophelia or not after what he learned about her but he didn’t want to stay alone tonight. His feelings and thoughts were too difficult to manage to only stay all alone with them. He sighed once again before looking at Jemma. 

“Oh, am I interrupting something?” Jemma asked. “Do you two have plans?” 

“Actually, we do!” Ophelia answered with a smirk. “I asked Leopold to go for dinner and he proposed to me to watch a movie after. This will give us the opportunity to know each other better, isn’t it, Leopold?” 

Fitz barely smiled, confused. His eyes were still stuck on Jemma. 

“Sounds lovely, A- Ophelia. Sorry, I still get confused sometimes.” She plastered on a fake apologetic smile. 

“At least, you’re not confused about your cold feelings. I’m sure Will already forgot you with another woman more open to his requirement.” Ophelia said, venomously.

“You- You’re not with your boyfriend anymore?” Fitz asked, with a slow voice. 

“No. And yet, Ophelia, I don’t see how that is your business. And I would advise you not to speak to me in such a disrespectful way. I am your boss.” Jemma said smoothly. 

“So, we’re agreed. Jemma, as boss you should speak to your employees in such a respectful way, isn’t it?” Ophelia retorted back. 

“I’m sorry, when have I been so blatantly disrespectful? I always apologize when I call you by your real name. I always make sure not to put personal feelings and past experiences into my perspective of their working ability. Unless of course, it affects that ability.” Jemma was seeing red.

“Stop it…” Fitz said with a little voice, looking down, but none of them heard him.

“Personal feelings? You never put personal feelings at work?” Ophelia laughed. “Should I remember Milton? Poor guy, he left before you two barely started dating. What was the reason already? Ah, yes! You don’t know how to love, Jemma. Not a surprised Will left too.” 

Jemma looked to Fitz, who was extremely uncomfortable, “Ok Ophelia. You’ve escalated this too far. Fitz will be with you shortly.” She went over to him and whispered. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.” 

Fitz grimaced as if something was hurting him from inside. He closed his eyes, stepped back quickly from the two women and took a deep breath.

“I need to go. I can’t-” He closed his eyes, trying to calm his feelings. “It’s too much!” And after those last words, he ran to the exit.

“Leopold; wait for me! What about the dinner?!” Ophelia yelled at him but he was already outside, running to escape this horrible situation he didn’t ask to be in. 

“I think you might want to cancel your reservations. He needs time and space. So give it to him.” Jemma said.

“Actually, the real problem is you, Simmons. Because if you saw him as he was with me in the lab without you around, you’d be jealous of what’s happening between us.” Ophelia retorted, walking to the exit, when she stopped and turned to her. “But you don’t care about this, right? He’s just a subordinate for you, isn’t he?” She said, smirking like a snake. 

“Maybe think about the situation fully and start taking more responsibility. After all, it’s because you didn’t that Radcliffe had to resign.” Jemma smiled sickly, grabbed her things and started to set off. 

“At least, I got them both!” Ophelia yelled at her. “And I’ll get Leopold! He’s mine!” She continued but Jemma had already left the room, trying to ignore her last line. 

“Tell that to Agnes Kitsworth.” Jemma said to herself. When she got to the elevator, she saw Fitz in there. It looked as if he was having a panic attack. 

“Fitz!” She said, running towards him. “Are you alright?” 

Fitz was sitting in the corner of the elevator, holding his bag tightly against him, pale and shaking. He could barely breathe, shaking his head like a madman. “I can’t- I can’t…” He repeated, his eyes widened. 

“Ok, just breathe with me.” She unfurled his fingers from his bag and set it aside, putting her hands on his shoulders. She took deep breaths to coax him to relax. 

He shook his head, panicking more. “The walls are closing in on me!” He said, repeated it a lot of times. 

“Ok, Fitz. Look at me, look in my eyes. Just keep breathing and looking in my eyes. Focus on something happy. Anything. And tell me about it.” She scooted closer to him. 

He fidgeted more, tried to escape from her hands, growling in pain, when he met her gaze. He clung to it like a lifeline and didn’t let it go. His hands grabbed her arms, and he tried to take a breath. 

“What’s one thing that makes you happy? I notice you like monkeys. What’s your favorite kind?” She asked softly, still showing her breathing. 

He held her, squeezed her arms too much but he didn’t release her gaze. “Monkeys… I love Monkeys…” He stuttered, shaking less. “Rhesus baby monkeys. My- favourites.” 

“That’s nice. Why are they your favorites?” She asked with a small smile. 

He trembled once again but didn’t release her gaze.

“They- They had a cute face…” He said with difficulty, catching all the breath he could each time. “And they look like- look like-...” He closed his eyes, losing their eye contact. “I can’t breathe!” 

“Um...When I was younger, I liked butterflies and cuttlefish. They can change their colors with chromatophores.” She slowly pulled him up and out of the elevator to let him have more room. 

Fitz groaned, eyes closed. “I can’t breathe!” He repeated, agitated. He didn't notice yet that she released him from his cage. 

“What else…. I had scoliosis when I was younger. I was bedridden for weeks after surgery. And to help me with my boredom, my dad would wheel me outside on our farm. He would tell me all about the stars. And my favorite one is Theta Serpentis. And the biggest star in that system is called Alya. Beautiful right? I’ve always loved the name.” She rubbed his shoulders. 

Fitz quickly raised his eyes to her with a groan, shaking and crying, but when he noticed there was nothing above her head than a high ceiling, blinked many times while his panic attack started to stop. His eyes quickly looked around to notice the elevator was away from him and him outside from it. His eyes returned to Jemma where they got stuck for a while until he calmed down. 

“Here, have some water.” She got her bottle out. 

He drank quickly and choked, after taking a deep breath. “I was dying…” He murmured.

“You feel better now though, right?” 

His eyes quickly turned to the elevator and he nodded. “I was in there…” 

“I’m sorry. For causing it.” She said. 

“I- I wanted to leave quickly and I don’t know why- I got in there…” He put his face in his palms. “I thought I would die again…” 

“If there’s anything I can do let me know. Do you need a ride home?” She rubbed his back. 

“No, I’m- I guess it’s fine now.” He said, stood up quickly. “Thank you.” He looked at the elevator once again and turned pale. “I need to go home.” He grabbed his bag and walked to the exit.

“I don’t know if you’re ok to drive.” She said. 

“I don’t drive. I don’t have my license here.” He said, still walking to the exit.

“You want me to drive you?” 

He stopped and looked at her. “I don’t know. You don’t have to. I can walk.” 

“No, no. I want to. How far away is it?” 

“30 minutes by walking, so less in a car.” He said, still pale and shaking a little. He was cold and his clothes were wet because of his sweat. 

“Ok. What’s the address?”

He gave it to her while she drove to his apartment. In the car with her, the windows opened to not give him another panic attack in the small vehicle, he was feeling better. Her car smelled like her perfume and felt comfortable. The more she was driving to his home, the more he felt better. And that’s all he needed now after this horrible moment he didn’t have for a long time. This, and a shower.


	5. Chapter 5

“It’s here.” He finally said while she parked her car in front of his building. 

“Ok. Do you want me to walk you up?” She asked.

“My apartment is on the last floor, are you sure you want to take the stairs?” He asked, biting his lip. “Well, you can take the elevator.” He laughed nervously and turned pale once again. 

“I’ve been meaning to have a good workout.” 

“Okay, then.” He said, and after they climbed the five floors, they finally arrived at his apartment. 

He opened and let her get in, trying to hide the little mess he let out in the morning. 

“Nice place.” She said, looking around. There was a tardis on the shelf, along with monkey figurines. She found it adorable. 

“Uh, yeah, sorry, I didn’t clean up…” He said, grabbing a dirty pair of socks near the couch that he put quickly in his pocket. “I- Uh, you wanna some tea?” 

“Sure. A chamomile with some milk please.” She answered quietly, examining the figurines. 

He froze, looking at her. A chamomile? Did he have it? He thought quickly, ran into the kitchen to look for some in the cupboards. 

“Shit!” He murmured with dishes noises. “Uh- she’s gonna be upset!” He pinched his lips, putting his hands on his hips. “Can I make one, maybe?” He thought. 

“It’s fine if there isn’t any. Just whatever you have.” She said, coming over to the table. 

He passed his head to the door. “So, a lemon one? Or menthol?” He asked, with a pout mouth. 

His head was the only thing in view and not the rest of his body. His face was still pale and his hair a mess but he could not be cuter. 

“Lemon’s fine. Thank you.” She blushed at how his hair seemed to go in all directions with wild gold curls. 

“Okay!” He said, disappearing to reappear a second later. “Uh, have a seat and get comfortable.” And he disappeared once again to prepare her tea. 

Jemma smiled and looked over to his book collection. There, he had a vast amount of engineering books. Along with encyclopedias and books about monkeys. She laughed. This boy sure liked his monkeys. 

He came back in the room with tea and snacks and sat at his table, still wearing his jacket and bag. 

“Here, Ma’am.” He said with a little smile. “You can take some snacks too, oh! No, don’t they’re full of sugar. You don’t want to be fat.” He said, blushing. “Even if you would be beautiful if you’re fat.” He stopped, looked at her with big eyes and started to stutter. “I didn’t mean! No, I said - You’re not fat, you’re beautiful and but no, that’s not what I said, I meant-” 

She stopped him. 

“Fitz,” she giggled, “I see what you mean. Thank you for the tea. And, you don’t have to call me Ma’am if it’s not at work. You can call me Jemma here.” 

“Jemma…” He repeated with a slow voice and a little smile. It was like he found the most beautiful word. 

Jemma drank her tea with a smile. It was no chamomile with milk but it was very tasty and healthy. 

“So, uh- I’m sorry for earlier… I didn’t want to act like a crazy fool.” He said, looking down, playing with his sleeve. 

“For what?” She asked. 

“You know… My panic attack… In the elevator.” 

“That’s nothing to be sorry for. You had a human reaction to a stressful situation that I caused. If anything it should be me who should apologize to you. For escalating the situation when I could’ve defused it.” Her hands wrapped tighter around the warm mug. 

Fitz bit his lip, playing with his sleeve once again. “I walked straight to the elevator to run away from your fight with Ophelia. I was really uncomfortable about what she said and what you said. I know it’s not my business and I know I have been mean to you, so, whatever the real reason, I apologize. I should not talk to you in that way, Ma’am… I mean Jemma.” He raised his eyes to her, uncertain if he should call her by her name at that moment. 

“Like I said, you were uncomfortable with the situation. I took it further when I could’ve shut it down. So you have nothing to say sorry for.” The steam from the tea going to her face, warming her up.

“Can I ask you a question?” He asked, looking at the mark of her lipstick on his mug. 

“Yeah. Go ahead.” 

“Does it- Are you okay if I’m dating Ophelia?” He asked, biting his lip.

“You can date whoever you want. And if it’s a coworker, make sure you do all of the paperwork and that it doesn’t affect your working ability or professional relationship. I would advise against it in case the relationship runs its course. But, it’s not my place to dictate your life. However, I will warn you. She’s manipulative and untrustworthy. She lies to get what she wants. And plays dirty. So, I’d be careful if I were you.” She answered. Everything was true. He could tell by her eyes. 

From everything she had said, this was absolutely not the answer he expected from her. The question had been simple, he was certain and she didn’t answer him with the two options words he wanted to hear from her. He nodded sadly and looked down. What he thought got from what Ophelia - and sometimes her - said during their fight while they talked about him a little was just an hallucination. She only saw him as an employee and nothing else. 

Maybe Ophelia was a mean person and untrustworthy, but she was the first to give him attention, smile, want to spend some time with him and the most important, seem to be interested in what he was. Or maybe not. He didn’t know what to think or what to trust now. But he was now certain about something. He was just an employee for SHIELD Science Laboratories. 

“I guess I should go and take a shower.” He said, a little sad, avoiding her eyes. “I’m smelling like an old cheese in the fridge.” 

She let out a hearty laugh. “Then I guess that’s my que. Goodnight and thank you for the tea.” She went over to wash the mug. 

He nodded, waited for her to finish and opened the door. “Thanks for driving me. Goodnight Ma’am.” He simply said. 

Why is he calling her Ma’am right now? Did she overstep? She was confused but stepped out and took the elevator down to the parking lot, going over their conversation in her head. She didn’t even realize that she had left her coat there. 

Fitz took a moment to think about what happened today. He was exhausted and his mood went down once again and he started to get a headache. He sighed, dragging himself to the bathroom to take a hot and long shower. He hoped a good night would rest him. 

Jemma went home and took a nice bath, soothing her aches. After her night routine, she skipped dinner and went straight to bed. She was exhausted.


	6. Chapter 6

When Jemma came to work the next morning, she saw Ophelia and Fitz in the lab, waiting outside of her office. She decided to be civil today.

“Good morning. What can I do for you two today?” She asked. 

Fitz looked at Ophelia for a second and she smiled at him. “Ask her, go ahead.” She said.

Fitz swallowed with difficulty and looked at Jemma. It was like he was asking her the nuclear code. 

“I- We thought, uh... “ He hesitated, avoiding her look each time he dared to look at her.

“Leopold wants to ask you if he can work in my department, now.” Ophelia said, annoyed by his slowness. “He didn’t feel well over here and the other room is too small for him. I guess you noticed his claustrophobia, don’t you?” 

“Yeah. That’s fine if he wants to work in computer sciences. But, if he wants to continue the project he’ll have to report back here for progress updates.” Jemma replied tightly, ignoring the claustrophobia part. She had to be civil. 

Once again, Fitz looked down, sad. The last test he made to know if she was just seeing him as an employee showed him the truth. She absolutely didn’t care about him, and not even about his work. Why would she order him to stay in her lab instead of going to Ophelia’s one.

“I’ll take my stuff,” he said with a sad voice, walking to the lab to get them. 

Ophelia looked at him and smirked, turning to Jemma. “Congrats, Boss. You just lost one of your best employees. The project will be complicated to finish now. How will you explain that to the annual science meeting in two weeks?” She said, smirking like a snake, amused. 

“On the contrary, he still works for me. I am head of sci-tech after all. Also, it’s because he put in the request that I let him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have. It’s because I respect him that I am letting him go to another department that I still oversee. And did you not hear what I said? We’ll still be working together on the project. I don’t see how my work affects your agenda.”

Ophelia smirked more as she knew she won that game.

“Well, I’m afraid that Leopold will be very busy for the next few weeks, both with the work that I’m going to give him to do and with our little nice evenings we’re going to spend together. He won’t have time for you at all, my Dear. Or if so, not enough to finish your project in time. I hope it won’t be a problem.” She said, and smiled to Leopold who came back with his box.

“I’m ready,” He said, avoiding looking at Simmons. 

“Great! Let’s go, we have so many things to do together, Leopold.” Ophelia said, grabbing his arms and looking at Jemma. “Boss, have a nice day.” 

“Hold on. Can I talk to Fitz, alone?” Jemma asked. “I just have something important to say.” 

Fitz stopped, hesitated a second but as she was his boss, he could not refuse. 

“We have work to do, Madame!” Ophelia said, venomously. 

“I’ll join you in a minute.” Fitz answered, turning back to walk to Jemma’s office. 

“Listen, I can get you out of this. If you do not want to transfer, just say so.” She said once the door was closed.

Fitz looked at the head of the monkey in the box. “I guess it’s better to be transferred.” He said. “I won’t bother you- as the employee I am. It’s your lab, after all. You didn’t want me there the first day. I insisted too much.” He nodded, and turned back to leave her office. 

“That’s not true at all. Fitz, you are an amazing engineer and an even better person. And you can see as clear as day that Ophelia is manipulating you. Can’t you?” Jemma asked as his hand was on the handle. 

He stopped, thought for a second. “Manipulative or not, she gave me good attention. And I won’t support seeing your cold attitude so much. I had enough with my Dad for 10 years. See you in the meetings, Madame.” He said, leaving the lab by closing the door behind him. 

Jemma stood there, tears threatening to spill. Nobody knew why she was so cold. But this was the first time people have said it to her face. She couldn’t bear it. She just needed him to know. 

***

Two days later, Fitz didn’t see Jemma at all. Spending all his time with Ophelia was boring him and he enjoyed all the chances he got to escape from her. As she was now in a meeting with her staff, he took the opportunity to get a snack. While he was taking the staircases, he froze by seeing Jemma there too. 

“Madame.” He said, his eyes raised to her, taller than him because of the stairs. 

“Oh, hi Fitz. How are you doing?” She asked, looking up at him. 

“I just got a sandwich for lunch.” He said, showing his bag. “Why are you taking the staircases?”

“I’m behind on my daily steps.” She joked, showing her fitbit. 

“Oh, yeah, the non fat thing.” He nodded. “Uh, have a nice day.” He said, making a step to continue his road.

Jemma slipped on a step and nearly fell before she felt a pair of warm and strong hands coming around her waist before she had the chance to hit the ground. Her arms went on top of his and she got lost in his blue eyes for a bit, her body completely melting into his. 

His heart was beating so fast in his chest, both because he was scared she fell and now because he was so closed to her. He could see her freckles and the golden glitters in her brown eyes. His hands could not release her waist that he was holding tightly and the warm of her body so closed to him. Her perfume was bewitching and he could not think properly, except having her in his mind, again and again. 

“You okay?” He asked with a hoarse voice. 

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak and wanting to move even less. So much so that her arms wrapped tighter around him. 

His breathing became choppy and his eyes went down to her lips. They look so tempting so close to his face. Once again, his hands squeezed her waist intentionally and he started to shake a little. 

Jemma’s hands moved from his arms to his neck, rubbing it gently. Her voice was still lodged in her throat. 

He wanted to kiss her. He desperately wanted to kiss her. His mouth was dry and his breath still heavy. For a second, he dared move his head to her until an alarm rang in his head. He was holding the Boss! He had crossed the line between a superior and the subordinate and she’s gonna be colder than before. 

He quickly stepped back from her, pushing her gently back to the wall, making sure she was not going to fall once again and blushed as he never did before.

“I’m sorry! I just grabbed you to avoid you from falling. I swear I didn’t want to do anything wrong except avoid you from falling.” He said, stepping back and he missed a stair, too. “Oh, dear!” He said, scared, a hand on his chest. “I’m sorry.” 

“Fitz, it’s ok. It’s fine. Thank you for saving me from what would’ve been a painful fall.” 

He nodded quickly, grabbed the sandwich in a poor condition now and passed next to her. 

“Have a nice day, Ma’am.” He said. 

“Fitz, wait. Do you wanna grab lunch?” She asked, gabbing his arms. 

He turned his head to her, astonished. “You mean, together?”

“Yeah. Unless you have plans.” 

He looked at her for a long time, then looked at his poor sandwich and nodded. “No, I’m alone for lunch.” He said, with a little smile. 

“Good. There’s a cute restaurant across the street. When are you off?” 

“Now!” He quickly said, going down the rest of the stairs to step in front of her.

“Good. I am too. Actually, I have an idea. What type of sandwich is that?” She asked. 

“Uh, prosciutto and mozzarella.” He said, then frowned. 

“Perfect. Tell me, have you ever tried pesto aioli?” She asked. 

“No, I don’t cook, I’m burning everything.” He said, confused.

“Then I’ll make some. These types of sandwiches are always better with them. Come on.” She tugged on his arm. 

He followed her, still confused but gladed she asked him to lunch together. 

Once Jemma was in the kitchen, she took the top loaf of the sandwich and quickly made the aioli, spreading just a hint on top before putting it back on the sandwich. She handed it to him and expectedly watched as he took a bite. 

“Gash, it swo goo!” He said, his mouth full, nodded after taking another bite. “‘ood ‘oice. Pestwo aioli is ‘wesome.” He didn’t speak clearly because of his full mouth but she got what he said. “‘Mazin.” 

“Well thank you very much.” She laughed at his antics. “I can show you how to make it.” 

He nodded, finishing the sandwich without making a pause. When he swallowed the last piece, he put a hand on his stomach and grimaced with a growl. “Oh, too much!” He said, lying in the chair.

“You okay?” 

“I ate too fast,” he complained with another growl. 

“Here have some water.” She said, handing him a glass. 

He took the glass but kept his eyes on her for a while. 

Jemma was preparing a salad for herself as she felt his burning gaze on her back. When she turned around to sit down, he was still staring at her. She blushed and sat down to eat.

“So….” She started, unsure of where to take the conversation. 

“So, I like your dress.” He said, didn’t know if it was appropriate for him to say that to his boss. But he wanted to let her know. 

“Thank you. I like your tie.” She replied. 

He shook his head, judging the situation really stupid and his behaviour inapropriate. 

“Sorry. I heard that from the movie we watched yesterday with Ophelia and I realize how much it’s stupid to say.” He said with a pout mouth. 

“A compliment?” She joked with a chuckle. She completely ignored the o word. 

“Not really,” he said by shaking his shoulders. Then, he sighed. “I want to come back…” 

“What?” She asked, surprised. 

He looked down, started to play with a crumb of bread on the table. “I want to come back. In the lab.” He grumbled in his beard. 

“Oh. Um.. what brought this on?” She didn’t feel like eating anymore. 

“It’s boring to work with her.” He said, still playing with the crumb. “And- I don’t want to be with her.” He bit his lip, still avoiding her look. 

“Ok then. Your desk is still empty so come by whenever you’d like.” She replied. She was happy but kept it muted in fear of scaring him away. So a small smile was offered instead. 

He nodded, threw the crumb to the other side of the table with a pinch. 

“She’s gonna be mad,” he said, looking now at the wall. 

“You think I care? She’s always mad. What’s one more to add?” She snickered. 

He looked at her. “Ma’am. When you said I should not trust Ophelia. It was because of the project or… or because you didn’t want me to be with her?” 

“Would it be blasphemous to say both?” She looked into his eyes. 

He got stuck on her eyes, slided his hand slowly to hers. “Would it be blasphemous to say that I’ve some feelings for a woman over here?” He said slowly. 

She shook her head. “No, because I think I have the same type of feelings for a man over here too.” 

His finger slided to hers and touched it slowly. “Would it be blasphemous to say this woman is my Boss and I know perfectly I can’t be with her?” His eyes gave her an intense look. 

“Would it be blasphemous to say that the boss recuperates those feelings?” Her fingers slowly interlocked with his. 

“How can I be sure that this woman has the same feelings as me? Cause, after all, I’m so different from her and I’m sure I’m not her type at all, compared to all the guys she already dated.” He grabbed her hand in his and made some circles on the back of her hand. 

“I think you already have the answer.” She murmured. 

His look became more intense. He didn’t know what to do now but he was certain about something: he had never been so courageous with a woman than those past few minutes. He wanted to continue, to show he was not just a stupid idiot boy loving monkeys and science. He wanted to show her he could be as good for her as all the guys she dated and he could surprise her and gave her what they never gave her.

Caught up in an adrenaline rush, he stood up and walked to her to grab her head in his palms. A second later, he was kissing her. Finally. 

Jemma whimpered softly into his mouth, tilting her head to deepen the kiss and her hands going to his waist. 

He forced her to stand up, without breaking their kiss, and held her against him, passing his arms around her waist. He was so happy, both in his head and his heart bouncing in his chest like a madman. Her lips were so soft and her body was so warm. It was the first time that he was holding a woman in his arms and Jemma was the perfect one. He could not be happier than now. 

Jemma wanted to touch him everywhere, wanting to do more and nothing but kiss him at the same time. All other thoughts completely left her as she was too engulfed in him and his burning touch. Her hands then ventured up to his neck to pull him even closer, never wanting to let go. 

Fitz found the strength to break their kiss and stepped his head back from her with a big smile. His hands didn’t let her go, still keeping her against him. His eyes were shining of happiness and his little lips were now pink because of their kiss.

“I thought you would reject me back when I kissed you.” He said, with a little laugh. 

“What gave you that idea?” She whispered breathlessly. 

His pink lips made a pout. “I’m not really your kind of guy… I look like a twelve years boy while you’re a superwoman.” 

“You think I’m strong? Well all of my girlfriends are in ops so, no you are wrong about that.” She laughed and her head went to his shoulder. 

He laughed too, cuddling her more against him. “Sorry, it just I was sure I was not your type at all, but now, it doesn’t matter. Your kiss was my answer.” He said, kissing her temple. 

“So, what now?” She pulled back to loop her arms around his neck.

“I’m, from what I watched in movies, when the boss and the subordinate have an affair, they stay quiet about it, so, I suppose we have to, right?” He asked, uncertain. 

“Sounds like a plan. Do you wanna meet where we could be more private about our secret affair?” She played with the hairs on the back of his neck. 

He nodded, stealing her a kiss quickly. “I do want to have more time with you. But not as a subordinate. And I will have to act like a subordinate and resist to look at you as a super girlfriend. Wait.” He looked at her with a panic in the eyes. “Can I say that? Or is it too early? Because we just kissed and nothing else, so…” 

“I don’t think so. You’re my monkey boyfriend.” She smiled. 

“Monkey boyfriend,” he repeated with a laugh before stepping back from her. “I need to act normally then. Subordinate mode activated.” He nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. 

“You wanna meet at my place tonight?” She asked, stepping back from him. 

He nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I guess I can do that. Wait. Is it a date plan?” 

“It can be whatever you want it to be.” She replied. 

He gave a big smile, amused and happy at the same time. “See you tonight, then?” 

“Sounds good.” She smiled and brought him in for a quick kiss. 

He bit his lip after the kiss to calm his envy to jump on her and kiss her more. So, he just stepped back more from her, opened the door of the kitchen and waved his hand to her with a smile. 

“See you tonight,” he repeated before leaving the room, leaving her all alone.


End file.
